The Paine Of The Past
by Mistress Nyda
Summary: I started this years ago, and found it again. It will probably cross over with FFVII, FFVIII, FFX... Paine vanished after Vegnugun's defeat and has just now reappeared. Changed, she struggles to fight of the horrors of her past year.
1. Return

Note: I do not own any of these characters or Final Fantasy. Not mine..although I wish they were. This story was started a long time ago and needs to be edited. I just recently found it and decided to start working on it again. I'll be updating it from time to time..And feel free to give suggestions on pairings.. I will be including characters from FFX, FFVII, and FFVIII. These are the characters that do not have pairings decided yet:

-Paine

-Nooj

-Baralai

-Gippal

-Rikku

-Auron

-Seymour (Yes he is coming back!)

-Squall

-Zell

-Rinoa

-Quistis Trepe

-Irvine

-Laguna

-Seifer

-Cloud

-Sephiroth (Evil Laugh)

-Vincent

-Aeris

-Tifa

-Yuffie

-So as you can see I'll need some help…And even if a character is not up here, you can still suggest pairings.

Return

It was barely a year since the defeat of Vegnugun. People were out in the streets, happy and carefree. The Lady Yuna and her fiancée Tidus were hosting the yearly blitzball tournament. Luca was lit like a torch, and the city could be seen from miles away. The roar of applause and shouts thundered from the city, and echoed into the night. A solitary figure sat on top of a black airship hunched over. Her pale skin made her seem almost ghost like under the harsh city lights. The figure, clad in black, watched as many groups of people walk by through cold crimson eyes. She stood, and turned to go back inside the airship. As she entered the lift, sphere casts all over Luca displayed the image of the three leaders of Spira. The woman's eyes narrowed slightly, and she turned her head away, allowing the lift's door to close. She moved down to the engine room, and out once again into the night. She paused as the sphere casts replayed images of the three men shaking hands and making speeches. Her face darkened, and she moved on. She entered into the fringe of the city, and made her way through the crowd. The streets were packed, yet with a blood-chilling glare she made her way through. Near by, a blonde AlBehd girl called out to her, _"Byeha! Frana ryja oui paah? Oihea, Kebbym, Huuz, Pynymye, yht E ryja paah muugehk vun oui!"_ She kept on walking, until the girl ran towards her. _"Paine!"_ The blonde shouted. Paine ignored her, plunging into the crowded streets. _"Tysh!"_ the blonde exclaimed, catching an amused look from a few other Al Bhed. Paine moved forward, her palm resting on the hilt of her sword. She scowled as she caught sight of a too familiar form making his way to her. _"Paine!"_ She turned, flinching slightly as her name was called. Moving towards her at a quick speed was a tall, tan, white haired man. People scurried to get out of his way, calling out greetings to the Praetor of New Yevon. He stopped in front of her, his eyes bright. "_Where in Yevon's name have you been? We have been so worried…Gippal had half the macina faction looking for you, and Nooj…"_ He paused. _"Nooj has become, if possible, even more depressed." _ Paine stared back through her eyes, showing no sign of any emotion. "_You shouldn't have worried. I'm a big girl Baralai. I don't need my own personal guard."_ She moved to turn away, but was prevented by a strong hand on her shoulder. _"Paine…"_ Baralai half whispered, his brown eyes displaying hurt. Paine looked back at him silently. Baralai frowned, his hand tightening his grip on her shoulder. _"What the hell has happened to you?"_ His shout caused many people to turn their heads in the two's direction. Paine struggled from his grip, and hissed at him coldly. _"Lower your voice Praetor, someone might hear you."_ Baralai recoiled as if he had been punched. _"I have no idea who you are anymore Paine. Your not the same person you were even a year ago!" _Paine laughed, dark emotions playing upon her face_. "The Paine from the Crimson Squad and the Gullwings is long dead."_ With that she turned again to leave, plunging through the crowd.

Baralai stared after her for a moment, then plunged in after her. _"Paine! Wait!"_ He called, fighting to keep her retreating form in his view. Suddenly he rammed into another person and crashed downwards. _"Lai!"_ the figure shouted. _"Watch where you are fucking going!" _ A sandy haired, one-eyed Al Bhed sat dazed on the ground. _"Your Praetor staff almost removed my good eye!"_ And with that, Gippal rose offering a hand to Baralai. Baralai accepted, but turned to see the leader of the Youth League watching him through cold brown eyes. _"Still the same foolish children I knew two years ago."_ A faint smile formed on Nooj's face. Baralai returned the smile, and then started. _"I just saw Paine…"_ He stopped to gasp in pain as Nooj's macina hand clamped onto his shoulder. _"Where!"_ The Death Seeker demanded, raw emotion in his voice. _"Here! "She…" _ He stopped again. _"She has changed."_ Gippal rolled his eyes. _"Yes Lai, people do change."_ Baralai started off in the direction Paine was headed calling over his shoulder, _"You'll see soon enough Gippal."_ Gippal's smile faded, and he and Nooj plunged in after Baralai. Paine pushed her way through, ignoring angry stares of the people she brushed to the side. She had returned to the airship to try and ease back into the way things were before. She felt out of place, a stranger. She allowed her mind to drift back to the events of the past year and winced in pain. After the defeat of Vegnagun, Paine had reestablished her relationships with the three most important people in the world to her. Nooj, Baralai, and Gippal. Then one day, while on a sphere hunt with Yuna and Rikku, she just simply vanished. No, she had not just vanished. She awoke into a world foreign to her, and unlike anything she knew. Then, she met him. Paine shivered and increased her pace, heading straight for the High Road. She entered the highroad, paying a hover and riding to the edge of Mushroom Rock Road. She slipped into the shadows, past the Youth League guards, and towards a too familiar ravine. Exhausted, Paine stumbled down the steep steps, slamming into the cold, unforgiving earth. She rose to her feet, touching her head where blood was streaming from a gash. Her gray hair darkened, mixed with blood. She surveyed the rest of her self and found she was bleeding in quite a few other places. She limped forward, through the ravine. Collapsing, she found herself in what was called the 'Den Of Woe.' She closed her eyes, flinching at the wave of memories that struck her.


	2. One Winged Angel

Review People! Please! I will be doing some sort of a Nooj/Paine Baralai/Paine Gippal/Paine love triangle thingy…but I have been considering a Paine/ Sephiroth…Don't kill me if you don't like that. Yuna will be with Tidus, Seymour will turn his attentions elsewhere…not to Lenne, and she is with Shuyin. Wakka is with Lulu…but other than that I think everyone else is up for grabs. Anyway. Make suggestions!

She closed her eyes, flinching at the wave of memories that struck her. Voices and images of her past swirled around in her mind, each more painful than the first. Paine dropped to her kneels clutching either side of her head. "**_STOP!" _**Her scream tore across the silent cave, echoing harshly against the barren walls. She fell back exhausted against the wall and her blood and tears began to mix. Red streaks fell across her pale skin, pouring from her bloody gash and eyes. As she stared out into the darkness that surrounded her, a shadow fell across the cave entrance. Thinking she had been followed, or that some nosy Youth Leaguer had found her, she lifted her head scowling. _"Fuck off." _She got no reply, so she slowly got to her feet. She gasped, clutching the wall as her head spun. She regained her balance, hissing angrily as laughter filled the cave. _"I thought I told you to leave me the fuck alone!"_ She took two steps forward, her hand going to her sword hilt. She froze, catching sight of the figure. _"No…"_ she began stepping backwards. _"You can't be here"._ Paine seemed to be pleading with the figure and herself. _"I saw you die." _The figure laughed again, stepping forward. Paine's back hit the wall and she fell to knees once more. Paine shuddered silently as the figure came closer. _"And?"_ the figure drawled coldly. _"Death is no obstacle to me now."_ The figure's voice was tainted with darkness. Coming into the weak glow of the moon, the figure revealed his long white hair and well built frame. Paine raised her head, staring wide-eyed at him. He chuckled, moving his hand to her shoulder. Sephiroth dropped to one knee beside her and removed his hand. Paine flinched, trying to twist away, disgust written across her face. He snarled, grabbing her shoulders and lifting her up roughly. _"Have we forgotten how to behave pet?"_ Sephiroth spat out, his eyes gleaming. She struggled, only to be forced up against the wall of the cave. Sharp stones dug into Paine's back as Sephiroth slammed her backwards, driving the wind from her. She raised her head slowly, spitting blood into his face. Sephiroth began to laugh, wiping of the spit with the back of his hand. _"Guess I'll have to break you again love."_ She snarled, trying to escape from the embrace of her captor. In one quick moment, Sephiroth brought his fist down upon her head, stilling her movements as she was driven from consciousness. Sighing, he gathered her into his arms and turned to face the cave back wall. With the flick of his hand, the door to the actual "Den of Woe" opened and he stepped inside, plunging into the darkness.


	3. Forced Memory

Sorry I took so long to update- I just didn't have much time these past few weeks/months… My computer died…multiple times…and I've had a bit of family crisis. My dad's small cell lung cancer has returned for the third time and it has matastisiced to his brain. But enough with me! On to the story! I still don't own any Final Fantasy characters. Review!

Paine opened her scarlet eyes, wincing as a torrent of harsh and forgiving light shone brightly. She blinked and shook her head, trying to clear her vision. She made a move to stand, but was pulled sharply back to her position on the floor. Looking down for the first time, Paine realized that she has been chained to a wall by her wrists and ankles. Scowling she turned as best she could trying to take in her surroundings. A sharp flash of pain seared through her wrist as a large syringe was jammed into her veins. She cried out turning to see her tormentor. As darkness began to cloud her vision, she saw they smirking face of Sephiroth. She surged forward trying to get her hands around his throat, but her knees buckled sending her crashing down. Her vision swam and she gave into the darkness.

The darkness cleared quickly, recreating the past in her mind. Paine saw herself walking with Nooj, Baralai, and Gippal. She also saw Sephiroth off to the side, hidden from the vision of the four friends. She made a move to yell, to warn the four of the impending danger but could not. Her body felt like lead and her voice made no sound. Horrified she watched as her past began to unfold right before her eyes. The four had reached one of Shinra's commspheres and paused, gathering around it. Paine could just barely make out the messages. _"Praetor Baralai?"_ The voice of a New Yevon high priest sounded out from the machina. _"Your presence has been requested at the Ronso/Guado peace talks…"_ The voice faded and was replaced by Lucil. _"Lord Nooj, your presence has also been asked for."_ Nooj snorted. "_I don't see why Lucil. I lack any of the ambassador-type skills that Baralai has.."_ Lucil's voice growled out over the commsphere. "_Leader or not Nooj, I will send an airship to get you and take you to the Calmlands!"_ Gippal laughed, but his laughter stopped as he heard Cid's voice over the machina. _"Your going to Gippal. We need the leader of the Machina Faction to be present."_ Gippal sighed. "_I guess I don't have a choice either huh?"_ Cid responded quickly, _"Hu. Ouin uhmo lruela ec du ku. E tuh'd fyhd du rayn oui lusbmyehehk-ouin uin maytan, cu cdynd yldehk mega uha. Cdub paehk cilr y vilgehk pypo. Ruf dra ramm tet oui palusa uin maytan ehd ra vencd bmyla?"_ Gippal colored slightly. Paine grinned, able to understand every word of Cid's lecture. In a matter of seconds, an airship landed baring the symbols of all three groups. _"Come with us Dr.P!"_ Gippal begged. _"Don't make me go with Nooj and Baralai alone!"_ Nooj swung at him with his cane and limped on board calling over his shoulder to Paine. "_I see you when I get back. We still have much to discuss."_ Baralai nodded. _"As will I. Hopefully Spira will leave us alone after this."_ Gippal frowned. _"We do need to catch up Dr. P. It has been too long."_ Paine shrugged. _"E ghuf. Rinno ib yht kad uh puynt pavuna Let cahtc Huuz uid yvdan oui. Yht kebbym-tuh'd cyo yhodrehk...nycr."_ Gippal glared at her from his one eye. "_Nycr? Fryd oui sayh du cyo ec tuh'd cyo un tu yhodrehk cdibet. Tuh'd funno Tn. B. E'mm ryja Pynymye yht Huuz fydlrehk ujan sa. E'mm tnub po frah E's tuha."_ With that, Gippal and Baralai turned and boarded the ship. Paine moved away, watching as the ship rose to the skies. She turned away, and began to walk. She was deep in thought, and unaware of the eyes that watched her. As she neared the Thunder Plains she paused. Whirling quickly, she caught sight of a tall man with long white hair. She tensed and rested her hands on her sword hilt. The man laughed and moved towards her. She backed up, every muscle in her body tense and ready to spring. The past Paine fell right into a trap, walking into the man who had appeared behind her. The future Paine began to sob as she saw her past self being abducted. She closed her eyes, remembering that the day she had been lost was the day that the Crimson Squad was to be reunited for good.

She opened her eyes again, and started as she realized the vision had left her. Once again she was staring at the bleak cell walls of her cage. _"Damn you Sephiroth!"_ She yelled. Paine tried to slam her body into her cell bars, but was once again sharply pulled back by her chains. Thick cuts began to bleed from her wrists where the chains dug deep into her pale flesh. Tears streamed from her eyes, but she refused to cry out in pain. She knelt to the floor, as best she could. She could hardly even sit, for her chains prevented her from doing so. The way her cell was structured was to not allow her to sit or stand comfortably. As she huddled in her cell, Paine began to put up her own mental defenses, swearing that she would not be broken again as easily as before. If she could help it he wouldn't get the chance to break her. _"You can't break the dead," _she reasoned, muttering to herself.


	4. AUTHOR'S NOTE

**Author's Note:** Hey guys- I'm sooooo sorry I have not updated this story! School, theatre, and work have attacked me and held me hostage. I have another show coming up in three weeks, but I want to add another chapter first. I'm working on the next chapter- and I promise, it **will** be a long one. Reviews always help.

Thanks!

Nyda


	5. Chained

Note: I still do not own Final Fantasy. Unfortunately. Reviews are always welcome. I'm also thinking on cutting down on the amount of characters I will include from FFVII and FFVIII. I'm not sure yet. Not as long of a chapter as I had hoped for, but I'm working on the next chapter already, and I hope to update soon. Let me know what you think!

--Nyda

Sephiroth burst through two tall onyx doors, his long cape swirling around him. He stalked towards the center of the room, glaring at the half man half Guado in front of him. "_Seymour."_ Sephiroth hissed, catching the former Maester's attention. Seymour turned and smiled. "_Sephiroth….How good it is to see you returned with out incident. My bride, the High Summoner can often cause problems…"_ Seymour laughed to himself. "_She causes quite a ruckus wherever she journeys."_ His face darkened. "_Always with her guardians. And that infernal blonde boy."_ Sephiroth rolled his eyes and moved fluidly towards a seat at the head of a long dining table. His movements were smooth, perfectly balanced. He lounged in the chair, mindlessly listening to Seymour's rant about a blonde boy named 'Tidus'. Sephiroth slowly drew out his sword, inspecting it closely. Seymour fell silent as Sephiroth swung the sword forward, slicing into an apple with the tip of his blade. Sephiroth offered the apple to Seymour, who paled and backed up slightly. Sephiroth's green eyes shone with that strange light that always marked the sign of madness. Seymour could recognize this, and decided that as much space between him and the crazy white haired warrior was best. "_She needs to be broken again"_ he sighed and took a bite of the apple. "_It seems that my pet has more will than I first thought. She has only been out of my care for a month at the most..and yet she needs to be broken again."_ Sephiroth smiled suddenly at Seymour. "_I believe you knew her father._" Seymour froze, wary of the insane gleam that's still rested in Sephiroth's eyes. "_One of you precious Yuna's guardians. Sir Auron if I remember correctly. Ring any bells?"_ Seymour scowled. "_Oh I remember_," he muttered darkly.

At that very moment a very frantic Nooj, Baralai and Gippal were sending out their factions on a massive 'Paine hunt.' Baralai and Gippal were both retelling the events of the day to a small group assembled in Besaid. Yuna stood next to Tidus and Rikku, holding onto Tidus's hand for support. On Rikku's other side was Lulu and Wakka. Wakka was clutching a blitzball to his chest, frowning. Lulu's cold red eyes were the only sign of the hope she felt now that Paine had been sighted. Lulu and Paine had formed a friendship over the past few years, and Lulu had even asked for Paine to be a godmother to her son, along with Yuna and Rikku. Lulu and Paine shared a mutual respect for each other, and the respect had slowly turned into friendship. Shinra, Brother, and Buddy were all listening to Gippal and Baralai intently. Well at least Shinra and Buddy were. Shinra was busy recording every word Baralai and Gippal said, wanting to be able to refer back to the sphere for later. Brother was glaring at Gippal with dislike. He never liked the one-eyed blonde Gippal, and his dislike grew once Cid, his own father chose Gippal to lead over him. Not to mention Gippal and Rikku had been in a relationship once upon a time, and things had not ended well. Gippal had left Rikku without a word for the Crimson Squad, and had never made an attempt to contact her. The first she had seen of him had been two years after the defeat of Sin. Kimahri stood behind the group, towering over them all. He watched Gippal and Baralai carefully, noting their distress. Nooj was apart from the group, pacing. He glared at his cane, as if willing it to disappear. He stumbled over his cane, muttering darkly to himself as he did. His mutterings were heard by his former Crimson Squad mates, and were ignored. Baralai and Gippal were used to Nooj's muttered death threats, he was always muttering about killing something. They just accepted it, recalling from the old Crimson Squad days what stress did to Nooj. Nooj did receive an odd look from Tidus however. Nooj smiled evilly to himself. He noted Tidus's discomfort, and increased his mutterings. The boy was far too happy for his tastes anyway. Nooj could not understand how any sane person could be that happy. Clearly the blonde warrior and Yuna were well suited for each other. Nooj turned and glared at Tidus, giving the blitzball player the evil eye. He was jealous of the happy-go-lucky couple. Not that he would ever let on to anyone that he was…but there had been a time when he too had been in love and happy. Then he had fucked things up. Badly. There was no way around it; Nooj had given up trying to rationalize his actions. Not only had he shot the woman he loved, he had ignored her, and started a relationship with another woman. That relationship was over now, but it hardly seemed to matter. Paine was still gone.

As Baralai and Gippal finished their recount, Yuna, Rikku, and Wakka all started asking questions. Nooj stopped his pacing and turned to the group. He watched Baralai and Gippal's futile attempts to answer the stream of questions, and scowled. All this noise was getting them nowhere and frankly, giving him a massive headache. _"SILENCE!"_ He roared, glaring at the group in front of him. Rikku's eyes widened and she backed away from the glaring Death Seeker. Yuna froze, covering her mouth with her hands. Tidus leapt out of his skin, surprised by Nooj's shout. Nooj smirked; pleased he could still be intimidating. _"Now,"_ he began slowly, looking at each of them. "_We must deal with the problem at hand. Where could Paine have gone? And how do we find her?"_ Silence fell over the group. Nooj, Baralai, and Gippal shared a look. Baralai looked worried, his warm brown eyes frantic. His white hair was a mess, falling into his tired, chocolate brown eyes. Gippal's green eye was gleaming with strain, anxious to be out and doing something, anything that would help him find her. Nooj's eyes were cold and haunted, the only sign of his internal suffering. Lulu suddenly gasped, her red eyed widening. Wakka turned to her, _"Lu! All you alright?"_ Lulu pointed to her right, speechless. The group whirled, looking off into the direction Lulu was pointing in. Someone was moving towards them very quickly. As this someone got closer Tidus froze, shifting his attention from Nooj to the approaching figure. It was not possible. Tidus moved forward, his eyes wide with confusion. _"Auron?"_

Paine hung from her chains, her eyes closed. She opened her eyes slowly, taking in her surroundings. Beyond her cage stood three doors. The door on her left lead to the main hall, the middle door lead to Sephiroth's chambers, and the door to her right lead deeper beneath the castle. Paine had tried to escape through each of those doors before, and every time she had been caught. She had only escaped by jumping from a window into the dark water that surrounded the castle. She had been trying to escape then, but not with the intention of returning back to Spira. Her hope was to escape to the bottom of the midnight waters, and find peace beneath the crashing waves. Surprisingly enough, she had been knocked unconscious, and when she awoke had found herself on the shores of Kilika Port. Suddenly, Paine turned to her right, her eyes searching the empty chains beside her. Something was not right. She frowned, trying to sort out what was out of place. Paine shot up, her eyes widening. She was not alone. Someone was chained to her right. Paine strained, trying to get a closer look at her cellmate.


End file.
